Box for containing belts of cartridges for use in machine-guns.



W. I. DAVIES.

BOX FOR CONTAINING BELTS 0F CARTRIDGES FOR USE IN MACHINE GUNS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I I, I915.

Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

4 SHEETSSHEET I- BOX FOR CONTAlNiNG EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE s.

4 SHEETS EEEEEE 2.

W. l. DAVIES.

BOX FOR CONTAlNlNG BELTS 0F CARTRIDGES FOR USE IN MACHINE GUNS APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 1|, IBIS.

'1 ,21 3,755 v Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

W. I. DAVIES.

BOX FOR CONTAINING BELTS 0F CARTRIDGES FOR USE IN MACHINE GUNS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. II, I915.

1,213,755. Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4.

UNKEEE TATES TNT error.

WILLIAM IRELAND DAVIES, OF BUCKNELL, ENGLAND.

IBQX FOR CONTAINING BELTS (3F CARTRIDGES FOR USE IN MACHINE-GUNS.

Application filed September 11, 1515.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM IRELAND Dxvrns, a subject of the Kingdom of Great :Britain, residing at Bucknell, in the county of Salop, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boxes for Containing Belts of Cartridges for Use in Machine-Guns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to those boxes which are used for containing belts of cartridges for use in machine guns, and which are of two kinds, viz. those which contain a single belt of cartridges, and which are attached in. position upon the machine gun for feed ing the belt of cartridges into the gun, and those which are arranged to contain several belts of cartridges, and which are used for refilling the aforementioned boxes containing a single belt of cartridges. Such boxes require to be made of a width which will allow of the belt containing the cartridges being freely allowed to leave the box as the belt is being withdrawn either for feeding into the machine, or for transference from the supply box, consequently, for this reason there is a substantial amount of play allowed between the ends of the cartridges and the sides of the boxes, and as the boxes in the course of transport are liable to a considerable amount of shaking and rough usage, it has been found that the cartridges become shaken from their fixed position in the belt, with the result that as they are fed into the machine a jamming action at times takes place at the breech of the gun owing to such displacement of the cartridges in the belt.

The object of this invention is to avoid the possibility of such displacement of the cartridges taking place, while in the box,

and at the same time to allow perfect free dom for the exit of the belt of cartridges from the boxes as they are fed into the machine or withdrawn from the supply boxes, the improvements consisting of padding the inside of that side of the box against which the noses of the cartridges butt and hinging the lower part of this side of the box, so that the upper part may be opened to a limited extent, thus enabling the belt of cartridges to be freely inserted or withdrawn, provision also being made for locking the side in the closed position by which the padded faces are arranged to press against the noses of the cartridges and retain them Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

Serial No. 50,142.

tightly in position in the box when such boxes are in the course of transport, the locking and unlocking of the side being effected through the medium of the top lid, in such a manner that when the lid is opened the side automatically opens out and leaves the belt of cartridges free for withdrawal.

In order that this invention may be clearly understood and easily carried into practice, reference may be had to the appended two sheets of drawings, upon which Figure 1 is a view of a box containing cartridge belts, and from which the machine gun is directly fed. Fig. 2 is a similar view to that of Fig. 1, but showing the box open. Fig. 3 is a cross section through Fig. 1 showing the cartridges and belts in dotted lines. Fig. at is a view of a box used for the supply of two or more belts of cartridges. Fig. 5 is a view of the box shown in Fig. 4, but when open showing the one or sliding part of the lid just on the point of removal after the side has been opened. Fig. 6 is a view of a device for closing and locking the side of the box by the action of shutting the lid. Fig. 7 is a cross section through part of the box when open showing a modification in the device for closing and locking the side of the box by the action of shutting the lid.

In an embodiment of this invention, and referring to the boxes for the direct feeding of the machine gun, the exterior of the box A and the lid B are of identical formation to the boxes at present in use, the lid B being hinged at one end 5 of the box and pro vided with catch Z9 by which it is locked to the top at the reverse end of the box in the usual way. By these improvements the one side C of the box is hinged to the bottom at 0 so as to have a limited amount of outward movement at the top 0 and the interior of this side of the box which is preferably the one facing the nose ends 6 of the cartridges E is covered with a resilient pad F, preferably of india rubber, and which is of a thickness slightly greater than the usual amount of clearance allowed between the ends of the cartridges and the sides of the box. The extent to which the top of the side is allowed to be opened is limited by means of corner straps such as H, which are arranged to have a limited sliding move ment on both ends of the box, such straps being sunk into the surface of the box, so

side of the lid of the box, such studs entering into suitable recesses M formed in the top edges of both the fixed and movable sides of the box, in such a manner that when the side is pressed into the closed position and the lid is shut both the fixed and openin g sides are firmly clamped together.

In the case of the supply boxes which are now used and" which are double the length of the aforementioned boxes for the machine, the lid is divided into two parts 13 and B one half being hinged at b to the end, and the other half B having a sliding action, this part B being retained in position by the closing of the hinged part B, and to which the hinged part is also locked when closed by a catch 6*, and in this case also my improvement consists in padding the one side C and hinging the lower part of that side of the box as before described, or by hinges formed of levers c which are pivoted to the open lid at 0 and to the box projections (6 the levers being pivotally connected at (i the whole being so arranged that the lower part of the opening side 0 is opened out, but to a less extent than the opening out of the upper part. The one end and center of the opening side is locked in the closed position by similar studs K on the hinged lid and recesses M as also previously described, while at the reverse end of the box the moving side C of the box is locked in the closed position by means of a projecting stud N or studs upon the end of, and in the same plane as the sliding lid 13 which stud N enters into a hole 0 in a projecting plate fixed to the top of the end of the opening side, and which also enters into a recess a in the fixed end of the box, the nose of such projection being of a wedge shape for the purpose of drawing the opening side of the box tightly into the closed position. v

The noses of the studs K may be wedge or cam shaped as illustrated in Figs. 6 or 7, and the straps H so arranged as to prevent the side C opening beyond the wedge or cam projection, so that when the lid is forced down the wedge or cam shaped projections enter the recesses M and bring the open side into its completely closed position, at the Copies of this patent may be obtainefl for five cents each,

same time locking it there by the securing down of the lid by the catch 6 A rubber or other strip J may be secured along the bottom of the box near the open side, so as to raise the noses of the cartridges in the bottom fold of the belt into a position that they are free of the padded face to the cover when the side is opened.

If desired suitable springs may be inserted between the box and the opening sides, so as to insure the side automatically opening out immediately upon the opening of the lid.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is V 1. A cartridge box comprising four side walls a base and a top, one of said sides being hingedly secured, along its lower edge, to the base member, the hinged lid of said box being hingedly secured to the upper edge of one of the sides of the box, and be ing provided with means adapted to overlie the upper edge of the side of the box.

2. A cartridge box comprising four walls, a base anda lid, one of said walls being hingedly secured along its lower edge to the base, a lid being hingedly secured to one of the upper edges of another wall, and means secured to the lid and the side wall which is capable of being swung outwardly so that when the lid is lowered the said side wall is automatically swung into a closed position.

3. A cartridge box comprising four walls, a base and a lid, one of said walls being hingedly secured along its lower edge to the base, a lid being hingedly secured to the upper edge of another wall, and means comprising two wedge members adapted to cooperate with one another, one of said wedge members being secured to the lid, the other to the side wall so that when the lid is lowered the side wall automatically swings into a closed position.

i. A cartridge box comprising four walls, a base and a lid, one of said walls being hingedly secured along its lower edge to the base, said lid being hingedly secured to the upper edge of one of the sides, and means comprising a resilient pad secured to the inner face of the hinged side wall.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM IRELAND DAVIES.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR HENRY BROWN, HoLLIs BROWN.

by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

